The jury is in. Everyone likes blue skies, fast cars, and cold lemonade. There is simply no beverage more refreshing than lemonade. Even Star Trek’s Mr. Spock agrees. But, of course, grown ups, with grown up responsibilities and grown up worries are going to want a grown up lemonade. For this, we can thank heaven for the happy marriage of lemons and alcohol in the form of hard lemonade. A simple hard lemonade recipe is all you need to enjoy what should be the most popular beverage on earth.
There are many ways to make hard lemonade, most of which will require some form of stiff alcoholic libation. We’re going to present you with the foundation of a high-quality hard lemonade recipe, and try to give you plenty of options. After all, there really aren’t many limitations on viable ways to make lemonade taste great.
Hard Lemonade Recipe 
Your basic lemonade recipe is exceedingly simple. All you need is lemons, water, and a sweetener. In fact, you really don’t even need the sweetener if you like just a little lemon in your water. But, the quality and measure of these ingredients are what is going to determine the quality of your lemonade. Any way you slice it, you’re going to have a hard time having a bad time. Your basic hard lemonade ingredients will look something like this:
- 6 lemons
- 4 cups of water
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 half cup of your preferred liquor
As you can see, you need a lot of lemons and a lot of sweetener to get that classic lemonade flavor. But that’s about where the limitations of lemonade come to an end. These proportions are just guidelines. Some people like a strong lemon flavor, and some like just a hint of lemon. This choice is up to you, but if you are experimenting, it might be best to err on the side of strong lemon flavor.
Alright, now before we go on to directions and options, let’s talk about ingredient quality. Because if you’re planning on scaling up the portions and serving guests, you really want to offer the nicest lemonade possible. With a little effort, you will be able to serve what is likely to be the best lemonade ever made, guaranteed — certainly the best lemonade in town.
Fresh Lemons
For a start, use real lemons. Some people try to use a powdered punch mix. If colored sugar water does it for you, really I think we’re done talking. You can just take your happy self down to the Dollar Store and have yourself a time.
Now that it’s just us grownups, just use real lemons for goodness’ sake. They are not expensive. They are delicious, and they are really very good for you. I could go on and on about the health benefits of lemons, but that’s not why we’re here.
Quality Water
When it comes to the water you use, let’s just say that if you use tap water, everyone will know because everyone knows what the local tap water tastes like. You may think your town has the finest tap water on earth, but I can tell you with authority, there is no way ten miles of pipe beneath the cold, hard ground is not going to corrode and leech.
Use filtered water.
Sweetener
There are lots of good options for a sweetener. You could go with plain, white cane sugar, though that’s kind of boring and not very healthy. A more flavorful option might be honey. Another great choice is real, Canadian maple syrup. Either way, your lemonade will have a richer, fuller flavor that respectable people will appreciate.
A simpler option might be brown sugar. Again, you’re going to get a bit more flavor in there that way. Depending on your guests, Stevia might be a smart choice. It’s a natural sugar substitute that tastes good and even has a number of known health benefits. The one thing to look out for with Stevia is maltodextrin. This is a type of padding that a lot of food manufacturers use to make their products go further, and it is a sneaky form of sugary carbohydrate and is one of the food industry’s dirtiest secrets.
Your Preferred Liquor
As the subheading suggests, this part is completely up to you. Probably the most important guideline here is to choose something simple like plain vodka or rum. The quality of your liquor is going to have a big impact on the overall quality of your lemonade, but not as much as the other basic ingredients.
The assertive nature of lemon flavor gives you a lot of room for error when it comes to your choice of alcohol. Fruit has a marked capacity for covering the taste of alcohol, and lemon is the strongest in this regard. So the temptation to add more and more booze is a very real thing. So, just be aware, and be careful.
At the end of the day, your choice of liquor depends on your tastes and the nature of your guests. Alternatively, wine is a common hard lemonade alternative. It will add color, and possibly, sophistication to your pitcher. Beer is another good way to keep the alcohol content down to a minimum. Just remember to go light on the beer if that’s what you choose to use. It’s a good option for keeping the alcohol content light and keeping your costs down. But too much beer can quickly disrupt that satisfying lemonade flavor we are going for.
Alcoholic apple cider and champagne are also good options. These, not unlike beer, will add a nice bubbly texture to your final product.
Gin is another interesting option. Even people who don’t like gin rarely complain about a gin-based hard lemonade recipe. The mixture of sweet citrus and the strong herbal flavor of gin are natural companions. So, it’s an unusual choice, but well worth giving a try. In fact, I think I’ll put it on this weekend’s grocery list.
Hard Lemonade Recipe Directions
If you’re up for a little experimentation, then you already know enough to get started. So have fun, and good luck. But if you’d like some more guidance, the following directions will give you a very classy and satisfying hard lemonade. Anything not mentioned above is entirely optional. The one thing about lemonade is, that it is as forgiving as it is delicious.
Step One
Using a zesting tool or the edge of a serrated kitchen knife, “zest” your lemon peel into large pieces. Place the zest in a saucepan, and top it with one cup of sugar and one cup of water. Then, stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to a boil, taking care not to scorch it. Continue until the sugar dissolves into a syrup. This should take between 5 and 10 minutes on medium heat. Then remove the heat source and allow it to cool. Discard the lemon zest, unless you have another idea for it.
Step Two
Stir in lemon juice and a stiff liquor of your choice. For this particular recipe, vodka, rum, gin, or whiskey is recommended, (in that order). If you choose to add in one of the other types of alcoholic beverage mentioned above, it’s probably best to save that step for last and just carefully spike your lemonade with it.
So, stir in your choice of liquor with your lemon juice. Then stir in enough water to fill your pitcher. At this point, you’ll want to sample it to see if the lemon to sweetness to water proportions suit your taste.
Step Three
Fill your serving glasses with ice, and pour your hard lemonade into each glass. Then garnish each glass with a slice of lemon, orange, or lime. A nice additional touch might be to add a mint leaf if you like a little class with your hard lemonade.
Nutrition Facts
If you follow the quality recommendations strictly, the end product should roughly contain:
- 290 calories
- 1.5 grams of protein
- 47.5 grams of carbohydrate
- 0.5 grams of fat
- 9.5 grams of sodium
Final Thoughts
If you find yourself a bit baffled after all the options suggested, then the only thing you’re missing is practice. Hard lemonade is one of the easiest drink recipes to make because the rules are so loose. The only way to get the hard lemonade you think is best is to experiment.
With a drink like this, trial and error is the only ingredient that is guaranteed to work every time.
P.S. If you brew beer or have ever considered doing so be sure to grab my top 5 recipes from my brew pub on the side of the blog or bottom if you are on a smart device. Cheers!